Donald and Winifred Wilson Center for Innovation & Leadership

Grinnell has long been an incubator for leaders and innovators by educating students in the liberal arts through free inquiry and the open exchange of ideas. With a strong tradition of self-governance, a commitment to diversity, a celebration of social innovation, and the routine practice of critical thinking and creativity, Grinnellians embody much of what it means to a leader and innovator.

The Wilson Center works to further catalyze leadership and innovation among our students through complementary coursework, personal experiences, and event programming that inspires them and prepares them to leverage their liberal arts education into success as leaders and innovators.

Experiential Highlights

The array of strategies and tools that Kayla Estes ’18 and her teammates developed through Spark inspired two community organizations, Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Agency and the Ahrens Family Foundation, to fund Estes’ continued work with the Grinnell Community Daycare and Preschool Center.

In the modern digital age, ideas on how to access and represent data and knowledge in Classics are rapidly evolving. Last year, the Wilson Center helped Shannon Riley ’17, a classics major, attend the Information Fluency in Classics Program.

Teodora Cakarmis '17, a French and Political Science major, received funding from the Wilson Center for Innovation and Leadership to attend the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakech, Morocco.

Jarren Santos ’17’s journey to a master of public health degree included an innovative science program, faculty-mentored advanced projects, a tour to meet alumni in data analysis and technology, off-campus research, and a cooperative degree program.

2016-17 Wilson Center Activities

65

alumni brought to campus

75

students funded for $49,687 for off-campus leadership and innovation events